The neighborhood, it is a-changin'

by Izzy Grinspan

In light of what's going on in Gaza, it seems almost disrespectful to talk about the real estate "battles" over Jewish music landmarks in LA and New York.  "Skirmishes"?  "Conflicts"?  "Friendly disagreements"?  No matter how you word it, the bizarre truth of the 21st century is that Jewish displacement right now means both rent hikes in Fairfax and forced evacuation on the Gaza strip.

Real estate problems are, at least, a lot easier to talk about—nobody's bringing up God here, unless you mean Mammon.  Yesterday's LA Times reports that developers are taking over the city's Fairfax area, known for its kosher shops and Judaica vendors.  With rents increasing by 20% in some places, elderly store owners are packing their Manischewitz crates and vacating institutions that have been around for years.

One of these is Hatikvah music, where both Steve "Secret Agent Man" Barri and Jerry "Stand By Me" Leiber clerked, and where Herb Alpert used to browse. Ironically, the company booting Hatikvah is owned by a Jewish guy who is a major supporter of the Beverly Hills Hillel.  Apparently, shiny 90210 needs its Jewish identity more than historical Fairfax.  The KlezmerShack has the full scoop.

Now, I'm not sure a store should be preserved just because some musicians spent time there fifty years ago.  But Fairfax is a historically Jewish neighborhood, with its own local flavor. (What flavor? Chicken soup, heavy on the schmaltz—duh.)  LA needs family-owned bookstores a lot more than it needs another shiny skateboard shop.

In other news, CBGB's still exists, apparently.